Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-06
CHASING ANTELOPES.
WILD SPORT FOR IUNTSMEN ON THE
PLAINS OF MONTANA.

FLElNO "! iIOS ANA.
Swiftly Running animals wiz, Tho Eye
of Hawk-The Fed Mans Method of
Crawling Near tho Gar1e-Usia; Two
| Balls.
To hunt the antelope successfully requires
more than ordinary skill. With The eIcep-
ton OF mountain sheep, antelope arc the
! most difficult game animals OF approach on
! tins continent. a bear VII stand I'D and
actually seek fight; a buffalo bull viii run at
| first. but once wounded, q Gtand Up fight to
! the bitter end is the probable outcome; an
! elk can be approached and slain without ex-
ercising extraordinary precautions, ard q
| deer is sometimes as dangerous and as benig-
| erent as mountain lion Ca the other
! hand, the antelope first last and cIl ting time
depends upon his legs for safety, end it is fair
to say that they are the 1eetest, G, they are
| the most graceful of Quadrupet,s There IS
no fun in store for the greenhoTn who ct
| tempts to hunt this animal without under
| standing its ways and habits. Anybody can
hunt and kill a bison, bear and many Of
the other large game animals; but tie ante
| lopc demands the most sllillful of huntsnen
to compete with its keen senses of sight and
smell, not 10 speak OF that other important
adjunct, extreme feetness Of foo The
! power OF scent is wonderfully acute Ill thcn,
for it seems that they can smell man" at
600 yards and beyond with the most astouisl-
ing exactness. Their tenacity OF life is be-
You'd all conception. | have frequently seen
antelope with one leg shot away and hanging
by the tendOns alone, outrun and escape from
the neetest plains ponies. Their race is rot
a long one mot more than six or seven miles,
and it is possible that an American horse
might run them down; but as a rule nothing
on the praries can catch them, and the grey
hound is about the only four-footed beast IN
existence that can be depended upon to keep
pace with and possibly outrun them.
THE EYE OF A HAWK.
No animal in the world possesses 4 keener
sight excepting the giraffe. In stalking ante
lope tho principal point is to keep out of sight
and next to Keep out OF smell. Don't imagine
because q band is a couple of miles away APP
parcntiy feeding cnd all with heads down
that none are On the lookout. The chances
are ten 20 one that you are seen first, although
they may not move. Always hunt over
broken ground and undulating prairie. If
on horseback, Gism0unt and skirt the ridge
ahead, as your horses head always comes into
view before you do and take OF your hat,
which becomes visible before you yourself
can see beyond. Do all the crawling possible.
Such is the red mans method, and he gen.
orally bags three times as much game rs any
two white men, unless tho latter adopt the
same tactics. Ninety per cent OF all the
game secured By Indians is shot within 800
yards. They are everlasting crawlcrs end
simply no good ct all beyond the 800 yard
limit On tho other hand, a white man
piUnges ahead in his natural happy go lucky
fashion, scares the game, thus giving it q good
send OFF, and then blszes away while the ami
mails are or dead run.
| have discovered many valuable pointers as
the result of long experience, ana note few
Of them for the benefit Of those who have
notion TO try their hand at stalking antelope.
When a band scents or sees YOU they run
across the wind for about 500 or 900 wards.
and then turn and run straight up the wind
The species are victims Of intense curiosity
and at times have walked straight into death
traps, all the while knowing and seeming
danger, yet so unbounded is their curiosity
to investigate strange and unusual objects
that they are unable to withstand the temp
tation to look little deeper and satisfy this
truly feminine instinct. A hunter in full
knowledge Of this failing either flags them or
sticks weeds into his hat while crawling. So
long as not seen and particularly not under
stood, they viii not run. but merely bound a
few steps at time, then halt, or else run
around the strange object in circle Even
If scented, Though not seen, the antelope viii
want 10 know more about you and the object
nf If tary 10 yl,Dfs
WIEN TO HUNT TlIE:,.
An excellent time to hunt them IS lust be-
fore sunset ard when about to scc!, cover or
o bed Get to the lceward and between them
and tho SRI. when the latter is about to drop
behind the hills; then walk slowly towards
the game with G; little motion as possible.
Unless scented, f!,aro is little dancer OF 4 dis
turbance CT Of fight, fo~ this particular ami
mai, gifted win such keen eyeight, cannot
see anything that is between them and TIC
sun. 1 haze clien approached 10 within 100
yards Of = band by adopting the tactics
named, AMI yet tEey did not bccon2e alarmed /
Buffalo viii also pass TO the uiaGwal-l. Ike !
their cousins OF the antelope family, I.u1thcy
wiz ctaaI 10 such foolishuas5 rs sur blind |
mss. \ red flannel shirt is extreir y fasci- |
mating 70 antelope: also. a red ho..4Eerchief !
- =
these animals b..o.;ze in s.ucli bands Of fftv |
or sixty, and il in large numbers among tho !
foothills, on the open prairie or elsewhere, q |
close examination VIII discover them to DO |
congroEated in smaller groups or four o. five |
dozen, who. amid the multitude, keep closely |
herleI among themselves. They are neat, |
clean cu5, handsome, and Is dainty as q lady |
in their diet, feeding rs they do on the ten |
deTest stalks OF grass and the delightful |
prairie clover. Astonishing rs il may seem, !
q crippled animal is, Or appears TO be, the |
fectest Of them ali, IS he generally takes the |
lead, the whole band following whittier he |
goes,
1 once made az Important discovery in
hunting which l have frequently tried on |
antelope with marvellous success. 1t is TO
load with two balls instead Of one. The
method named IS Of no service whatever c.-
cept AZ short range. At distances beyond
211 yards and oven little less it proves a
failure: but l have found il 10 work Ike q
charm at 80 yards and under. Antelope ere
such everlasting flyers that after being shot
10 death they run q tremendous distance be-
fore failing; but in the case Of catching two
balls instead 4 one. l have never known an
antelope run more than fifty yards before
going 70 grass. For the Springfield jreech
loader. which use on 81 my hunting trips,
besides the ordinary cartridge case which /
holds the charge OF powder and the conical
bullet weighing SEQ grains, / also carr q
round bl,l, the calibgc Of the guu. which
first insert in tho breech and then shove the
metal cartridge IN afterwards. Al 100 yards
lie spread IS not more than three inches. and
= 80 yards both shots are pretty apt 10
,2tch the beast somewhere. II Is surprising